WORKING with children from an early age and watching them blossom as they proceed through school is a privilege in the eyes of Julietta Howell, a previous winner of the ‘teaching assistant of the year’ accolade in the South Wales Argus Schools & Education Awards.

The mother-of-two has worked at St John’s College in Cardiff, an independent school for pupils aged three to 18, for getting on for 17 years, during which time she’s helped scores of young people.

She’s also supported her own daughters, both of whom have dyslexia, throughout their educational careers. Her eldest, Aimee, 25, went on to receive top marks for her English A Level and now works for Deloittes; Isabella, 22, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of six but went on to work as a patisserie chef before re-training to become a teaching assistant, using her own experiences to help others.

“I’m so grateful they have both found their way,” says Julietta. “It was only through education and perseverance, even during the hard times, that they kept going.”

Julietta, who was described as “conscientious, inspiring and caring” in her nomination from additional learning co-ordinator Noelle McCaffrey for the Schools & Education Awards, says attending the event was like going to the Oscars.

“I didn’t know I had been nominated; I was over the moon when I realised I had been put forward,” she says.

“I had the most wonderful time at the event. To be honest, I never considered I was doing anything out of the ordinary, and when I read about the other nominees I felt the competition was extremely high.

“It’s the closest I will ever get to going to the Oscars!”

Julietta says working for a school attended by children from the ages of three to 18 means she is able to watch individuals progress. Some require a support over a short space of time to help them get back on track while others need more help.

Currently she works with children aged five to 13 with conditions such as dyslexia.

“There’s a real family environment here,” she says. “The support we give starts early – we never wait for children to struggle – it’s knowing our children that allows us to intervene early and provide support, to them and their parents, as long as they need it.

“The lockdown periods have been tough for all pupils, but we kept going with online lessons.”

Julietta says she’s become more specialist as her career has progressed, undertaking various training courses to develop her skills to a higher level. She also brings some of her extra-curricular interests into school, not least her passion for yoga, which sees her leading sessions for both children and staff.

Looking back on her career, Julietta says she has learned so much from the children she supports.

“They’re very inspiring,” she says. “Meeting them at the start of their education and seeing them develop is a privilege.

“No two days are the same. For me the important thing is to do what I do with a passion, with love and care for the children.

“There are so many great TAs and teachers out there and honouring them with awards like those run by the South Wales Argus is a fantastic way to celebrate their work.”

South Wales Argus: panel

The South Wales Argus is delighted that Portal is sponsoring the head teacher of the year and secondary school teacher of the year categories in the 2021 Schools & Education Awards.

Here they tell us about themselves:

FOUNDED in 2010, Portal is an established and experienced bilingual training organisation delivering apprenticeships and bespoke programmes across Wales.

Portal prides itself on providing tailored support to all our learners and ensuring solid, constructive relationships with employers.

We listen to the needs of the individuals and the establishment to provide qualifications and courses which allow both to grow and develop together happily.

Over the past year Portal has further diversified its offering and the qualifications delivered within the apprenticeship provision to include: Leadership & Management, Levels 3,4,5; Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development L2 & L3; Activity Leadership L2; Supporting the delivery of PE and school sport L3.

We have successfully developed close relationships with a number of notable organisations to whom we provide commercial training and continue to forge new relationships month on month via verbal recommendations from existing clients.

Our commercial provisions now include: Leadership and Management L3 – L7; Coaching and Mentoring L2, L3, L5; Training, Assessment & Quality Assurance (CAVA and TAQA); Bespoke programmes for both businesses and school specific themes.

We pride ourselves on being dynamic and innovative in our delivery to ensure engaging teaching and learning whilst supporting organisations with their learning and development strategies to enhance the capacity of their workforce.

Being honest and having integrity whilst enjoying our work is very much at the heart of all we do.